A Most Wonderful Special Day!

Brett and I were able to go to the Mt. Timpanogus temple yesterday to be sealed for time and all eternity. It was a very special experience and I am so grateful we made it. We were sealed to Jolie and Colby was able to be a witness. It was wonderful to be in the temple with my little family and to reflect on the many blessings that our Heavenly Father has given us. I'm grateful for Brett and the most recent strides we have made in our relationship that allowed this day to be so special. We have been working really hard on our relationship and making it to the temple was the icing on the cake. We were relaxed and happy because the spirit was with us and we knew we were in the right place. Thanks everyone for your love and support!

Kenny, Andrea, Hilerie, Grandma Kalawaia, Grandpa Kalawaia, Colby, Brett, Adrienne, Jolie, Grandma Diane, Stephanie, Vicki, Beverly and Becky!


The Icing on the Cake!

When we got done at the temple we went and got some lunch at Spanky's! It's a fun little place just down the street! We had a great time with Grandma, Hilerie, Kenny and Stephanie. After lunch we had to take Colby to the airport so he could fly with his Dad to Spokane for a fun vacation with his other family! I am so grateful for my cute kids and my husband. What a great way to spend Christmas!

Merry Christmas From Utah!

We drove down to Utah on Christmas Eve to spend some time with my family. There wasn't anything going on in Blackfoot anyway, so we decided to beat the winter storm and head down a little early. We made great time with no weather problems and got into the valley early enough to have lunch, do some shopping and get Colby's hair cut. That night we had spaghetti with Grandma and Grandpa and then got ready for Santa to come!

I woke up first and then Colby did finally! Brett and I told him to go and check to see if Santa had come, and he said what time is it? It was about 6:30 and he said that he wanted to wait one more hour "JUST IN CASE"! We convinced him it was probably just fine to go upstairs so he did and then he came back to report that there were a lot of presents upstairs.

Anyway, we had a great morning and then my sisters came over for lunch with their families and we opened more presents! After that some of us went to visit my sister Hilerie who was snowed in her driveway! They just got back from a 2 week Hawaiian cruise and they were greeted by a couple feet of snow! We also went and saw the movie Bedtime Stories and then we called it a night. We had a great day and I am so thankful for this season that brings families and friends together to celebrate the birth of our Savior Jesus Christ! Merry Christmas!

Colby got Rock Band from Santa, and as you can see, he was a little bit excited!

Gingerbread House Fun

A few weeks ago Grandma Olivia gave us this fun Gingerbread House kit. Colby had a great time putting it together and decorating it with candy. I just put the frosting where he told me and he created the masterpiece. Jolie had fun eating the candy and watching. Thanks Grandma for such a fun activity! We hope you like the results and We LOVE you!

SANTA! I know him!

Saturday we went to the mall to see Santa. He was out feeding his reindeer when we got there so we had to wander around the mall for about 45 minutes. Brett wasn't happy about that, but he needs to get over some of his Mr. Scrooge bah humbug Christmas attitude or he might not get any presents. Anyway, When Santa got back, we were toward the front of the line so we got right in. I must say, it was a classic Christmas moment when I handed my screaming daughter to old St. Nick to pose for a photo. I think it was well worth the wait. Colby has the routine down and he smiled big. We'll try again next year with Jolie.

Merry Christmas From The Yancey Elves!!

Send your own ElfYourself eCards

Thinking Outside the Box

Colby started the GT program today at Stalker elementary school! That means that one day a week he gets to go to another school in Blackfoot for a specialized program that will hopefully challenge his brain. He was a little bit nervous, but lucky for him he has some good friends that are in the program already and the teacher is very nice. The first project that Colby will get to do is on Animals. He gets to choose an animal and do a big research project. I'm excited to see him grow, he's so smart! It will be fun for him to discover new ways of learning and the research element of the program will be great too. Good luck Colby, we are proud of you!

Smile Jolie!

I was going through the pictures on my phone and I uploaded a bunch of them so I could have them on my computer. Anyway, it seems that most of them are of Miss Jolie. I think that's because she is my constant companion and she really doesn't have a choice. I must capture her cuteness whenever possible.

I also just wanted to give a quick update on what Jolie's been up to lately. She can say mama, dada, hello, bye, ball, this, NO!, and Bubba (for Colby I think). She will push her walker and she'll stand on her own for a few seconds, but still has very little interest in walking. She is crawling all over the place and she is starting to climb a little. She will give kisses sometimes if she feels like it and she still growls when she's happy. She LOVES playing with Colby and she grabs Meatloaf whenever he is close by. Her favorite foods are cheerios, toast, oatmeal, waffles and just about anything sweet! She gets into everything including the dog's food, the kitchen drawers, the laundry, Colby's toys etc. She has especially loved the Christmas trees and decorations this year. She is very cute and funny!

Tis the Season!

We had a fun Thanksgiving in Utah, but we're getting excited for Christmas at our house! We started getting the decorations out last night and set up our new tree. I hope everyone had a happy Thanksgiving and that the Christmas spirit is starting to buzz at your houses too!

Jolie is ready for snow...well almost!

Post Worthy--GO UTES!

I just wanted to congratulate the University of Utah football team for beating our main rival BYU yesterday 48-24! Growing up with red blood in your veins in Utah can be lethal for a mormon....but my loyalty to the Utes is unwavering. I grew up on campus visiting my Grandma at work, going to games, exploring the museums and even playing in concerts there during my high school orchestra days. In fact I got my first job there when I was 14 making hot dogs for the football crowd. I feel very fortunate that I was able to return there as an adult an get a top notch education. I know I'm biased because I'm alumni, but what can I say....Utes rule!

BTW--We're undefeated again this year!

Twilight... Girls Night Out

I first want to say that I had a great time Friday night going to the movie Twilight with my friend Dara. So, thanks Brett for watching the kids and not complaining, and thanks Dara for showing me a good night out on the town!

My friend Kareena warned me that I would laugh a lot during the cheesey lines of the movie so I was prepared, and laugh I did. I did think the movie was "fun", but I would agree with the critics. It was pretty bad haha!! I did enjoy seeing their interpretation of the book and I am still uber proud of Stephanie Meyers who is by now a kazillionaire. I also thought that Edward was very well casted (meaning he was HOT HOT). I just need to write some best sellers now and get a few book/movie deals.

Kiss me Edward you killer vampire! Awe to be 17 again. LOL!!

Jolie's One Year Pictures

For Jolie's birthday we took her to get her pictures taken at Kiddie Kandids in Utah while we were down there for a visit. My sister Hilerie bought this adorable outfit at a botique she went to, and we just couldn't stand how cute she looked. Thanks aunt Hilerie for everything! We love you.

I love all of them! She is the sweetest little ballerina!

The Yo Yo Man

On Thursday I went to an assembly at Colby's school so I could GET OUT OF THE HOUSE! It was worth the trip to see the Yo Yo Man. He was really funny and I loved hearing a gymnasium full of kids laughing their heads off. He came with a friend, Ned, who is pictured at left and a great message for the kids. He told us that we should 1. Never give up 2. Encourage others and 3. Do your best! I totally agree.

His tricks were great and of course he made the skill of Yo Yo look really easy.

After the assembly Jolie and I went up to tell Yo Yo that he did a good job. He was so flattered that he gave Jolie her very own Boomerang Yo Yo! Score!

She gave it to her brother, who has been practicing his little Yo Yo heart out ever since! What a sweet brother and sister!

Bear Scouts and Lava Lamps

Colby just moved up into the Bear scouts in cub scouts and lucky for me...I got to move up too. Colby loves scouts so much that it makes it worth it. Anyway we had a really fun activity this week so I thought I'd post a few pictures!

Here are the boys getting ready to learn about famous American Scientists! We learned about several and then we talked about how a lava lamp works. Then we made our own modified version with colored water, vegetable oil and alka-seltzer.

Here's my partner, Kaylynn helping Michael with the food coloring for his lava lamp.

Here's Scott, after most of his has settled already.

Colby and Jarod posing for the camera. Colby shook his up after it stopped bubbling and it got really cloudy.

The honorary cub scout.... Miss Jolie.

This Is Halloween!

Halloween this year was AWESOME. I pity the folks that don't dig the day of the dead--seriously it's all just for fun. I think it sounds better in Spanish--El dia los muertos! Now I want some salsa. I love the candy too--and doughnuts, both of which seem to be abundant on H-ween. If you don't like candy or Halloween, I don't want to know about it.

Anyway...Halloween started out with a spin class at 5:15 a.m. Yes I know that is crazy. I enjoyed it though because I was there with my new BFF Dara. How can you go wrong with a friend that will text you at 4:45 am to make sure you get to the gym? I say she's a keeper. Our instructor gave us a can of TUNA for showing up. She said it was both a trick and a treat. I'm going to give mine to Brett.

I cam home from spin and my whole family was up! We got ready for the day and took Colby to school and then headed to Pocatello for Jolie's 1 year visit with the doctor. She did a lot better this time with her shots--and so did Brett! After that we went to Costco and then came home. We went over to the spook parade at Colby's school around 1:30 and got Colby and Jolie ready to show off their costumes. I love that Colby still loves Halloween. He WAS Batman when he put his costume on. It was so great.


Jolie was a little monkey--here she is with her daddy!

I'm Batman!

Look at those muscles!!

Parading around the school with some other "poser" Batman!

We went to a trunk or treat at 6 with the Cook's and then Brett ran around the neighborhood with Colby from house to house while I followed, shuttling the sleeping monkey around. After that we ran out to Groveland to my friend Jenny's house. She put a haunted house together in her husband's shop and it was crazy awesome. She did such a good job--It was scary! We had a treat and then came home and watched a movie. The highlight was definitely the haunted house! We had such a fun day!